Latest videos
Short craft talks every Thursday, one stage of a play at a time, from the first minute to the last.
November 2026
5 videos
How to end a play without explaining it
Why the last page should leave a question in the room and not an answer.
Writing a monologue in one afternoon
One speaker, one want and one afternoon, from a blank page to a finished draft.
Reading your script out loud with friends
Who to invite, what to listen for and why you should not explain anything.
Writing a scene where someone finally says it
The scene your whole play has been waiting for, and how to keep it quiet.
Giving each character their own way of speaking
Three small tricks that make two characters sound like two people.
October 2026
4 videos
Finding the moment everything goes wrong
Where the trouble starts, and how to let it arrive a little too late.
Cutting ten pages without losing the play
Which pages to cut first, and how to tell a favourite line from a useful one.
Raising the stakes one scene at a time
Three scenes that each cost your hero something, in order.
Setting out a script so actors can read it
Margins, names and stage directions, the plain way to lay out a script.
September 2026
1 video
Writing the first minute of a play
What to show an audience before they have time to look at their phones.
Newsletter
Stage Notes
A short letter every Thursday for people who write for the stage: one lesson from the rehearsal room, one exercise and one thing to read.